Higher Spending by Hospitals Improves Outcomes

Hospitals that are part of the universal health care system in Canada that spend more on inpatient care have lower rates of deaths and hospital readmissions, according to a study published in the March 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

TUESDAY, March 13 (HealthDay News) -- Hospitals that are part of the universal health care system in Canada that spend more on inpatient care have lower rates of deaths and hospital readmissions, according to a study published in the March 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The researchers observed lower rates of all adverse outcomes for patients admitted to hospitals in the highest versus lowest spending intensity terciles. In the highest versus the lowest spending hospitals, the age- and sex-adjusted 30-day mortality rates, respectively, were 12.7 and 12.8 percent for AMI, 10.2 and 12.4 percent for CHF, 7.7 and 9.7 percent for hip fracture, and 3.3 and 3.9 percent for colon cancer. The fully adjusted relative 30-day mortality rates for AMI, CHF, hip fracture, and colon cancer were 0.93, 0.81, 0.74, and 0.78, respectively. Similar results were seen for one-year mortality, readmissions, and major cardiac events.